I've been covering the business of news, information and entertainment in one form or another for more than 10 years. In February 2014, I moved to San Francisco to cover the tech beat. My primary focus is social media and digital media, but I'm interested in other aspects, including but not limited to the sharing economy, lifehacking, fitness & sports tech and the evolving culture of the Bay Area. In past incarnations I've worked at AOL, Conde Nast Portfolio, Radar and WWD. Circle me on Google+, follow me on Twitter or send me tips or ideas at jbercovici@forbes.com.

You know that old joke referenced in “Annie Hall” about the restaurant with the terrible food and the tiny portions? This study makes me think of that. Working as a reporter is just awful — and it’s so hard to find a place to do it!

Inadvertently, all this survey does is highlight the truth: Being a journalist is the best. That’s all there is to it. Yes, there are too few really good jobs and too many people fighting for them. Yes, salaries start out quite low. Yes, the hours can be long and irregular. Yes, the industry is in a period of extreme disruption, with lots of old jobs being destroyed, and the new ones typically offer less security and require different skills.

None of that changes the core fact here. For those who are cut out for it — and that’s definitely not everyone — journalism is a uniquely rewarding, wonderful career. Here are just a few of the reasons why.

-You’re always learning. Remember how great college was? Every semester brought new topics, new professors, new ideas. Your brain got a workout. You could feel yourself getting smarter. Journalism is like that. You’re always building new mental muscles. You start out on a new beat or a new story as ignorant as a child, and within a few weeks or months you’re an expert. Wait, you didn’t like college? Don’t be a journalist. Problem solved.

-You get paid to read a ton. Pretty much every journalist I know starts his day the same way: with a big cup of coffee and the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and a dozen or so blogs, either directly or filtered through Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. I’m sure a lot of people with real jobs start their days the same way, but most of them have to do it before they get to work. Suckers.

-You get to meet celebrities. Note that I did not include this under “interesting people.” Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren’t, and often the interaction is too stage-managed and shallow to be able to tell. Sometimes they are big fat jerks who think you must care about meeting them more than you actually do. In any case, it’s nice for your mom to have something to brag about to her friends, since she probably won’t be bragging about how much money you make.

-Maybe you even get to enjoy a little celebrity. Like meeting celebrities, going on TV can be fun and exciting, or it can be excruciating. We journalists aren’t all straight-up attention whores, but I have yet to meet one who doesn’t like having his or her work recognized. Hearing someone say, “Hey, I saw that thing you wrote quoted in the Times!” never, ever gets old.

-All that “stress”? It’s called excitement. Well, not all of it. But tracking down a scoop on deadline, when the newsroom is buzzing with dozens of people doing the same — it’s an adrenaline rush. Plenty of jobs in this world offer the prospect of unrelieved boredom. I’d rather have one that gets my heart pumping. Speaking of which…

-Journalists get around. I’m not even talking about traveling, although most journalists get to do that every once in a while. I’m not a big racker-up of frequent flier miles, but I’ve been to conferences in Puerto Rico and Austin, two places I wouldn’t have made it to otherwise. But set that aside. On a day-to-day level, what matters more is that reporting is rife with chances to get up from your desk, get out of the office and stretch your legs. Don’t like staring at a glowing screen all day? Meet a few sources for coffee, do some man-on-the-street interviews or go cover a trade show. It’s often when you’re playing semi-hooky from the office that you’ll get your best stuff.

-And then there’s the small matter of self-expression. I was thinking about this while watching the premiere of “Girls” on HBO. Lena Dunham’s character is a would-be memoirist who can’t find paying work. This might be a good comedic set up, but the fact is it’s probably never been a better job market for 20-somethings who just want to write about themselves, or at least about their opinions about dating, sex, food, pop culture, etc. If that character doesn’t have a job as a ladyblogger by the end of the season, she at least ought to have a bright future as a TV recapper. For better or worse, the old days of journalists having to put in 20 years of work to earn the right to use the word “I” are well behind us.

Have I convinced you that journalism is the only real career choice for curious, restless semi-narcissists like me? I hope not. There are enough of us already trying to do it. Go be a meter-reader.

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.

Comments

Thanks for this! I’m sending to my students at Medill. Can I add a few more? You learn every day. You can work very fast. You get paid to be creative. You are never bored. You can discern a situation quickly, put together information from many sources and make it accessible. You get a byline. I could go on…

Be my guest! I’d love to hear what other journos love (or hate) about what we do. I’ve already thought of a couple more: working with other curious, open-minded creative people; open bars. Not necessarily in that order.

I haven’t gone to school to be a journalist yet but I think I should to improve what I’m doing with my website. It’s turning into a more full time deal every day and keeps getting better! I agree that it’s an awesome lifestyle. Got started with it all from all the interesting stuff that happened on the road to begin with.

I would add one too, one about those days when you go home feeling that you changed something, that somebody will read what you wrote and will think over and meditate. For me, one of the best things about writing is that you can give something valuable to society, one group of people or… Well, maybe just one person.

Journalism leads to books, speeches, panels, multimedia, collaboration across platforms and all other forms of nonfiction storytelling where others value your ideas and insights. No two days are ever the same.

I have never been more excited for the future of journalism. What Jeff didn’t speak to was that FORBES is building a new, sustainable model for journalism. It looks quite different than your students might recognize, and it does require an open mind about new roles, responsibilities and pay systems. I do humbly believe that at FORBES Jeff is experiencing more freedom than ever to do what he loves to do. With that freedom, he’s taking accountability for every aspect of what a journalist holds dear. That’s about as good as it gets. In the link below your students can learn more about what FORBES is up do.

If that is true he might spend more time meeting celebrities and less time uncovering important political, economical and financial scandals. But there will sure be a lot of shares and likes. I guess that’s the kind of world we are building.